Alphecca

Gun Rights in Florida Advance

Governor Jeb Bush signed into law several pro-firearms bills. From the Sun-Sentinel:

Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday signed a package of six NRA-backed bills passed this spring by the Republican-controlled Legislature, including a measure (HB 687) that makes personal information about people who carry concealed weapons exempt from the state's public-records laws.

"By anyone's standard, it was an overwhelming session," said NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer.

The other measures Bush signed are:

HB 125, requiring businesses that sell hunting and fishing licenses to offer their customers voter registration applications.

HB 265, requiring the state to find and open new land for public hunting when existing hunting land is closed, by development or other land-use changes.

HB 285, prohibiting the governor from ordering the seizure of lawfully owned guns during a state of emergency. Authorities in New Orleans confiscated some guns last year after Hurricane Katrina.

HB 1029, making it legal to carry guns in national forests and state parks.

SB 1290, extending the time granted military personnel serving away from home to renew concealed weapon permits.

One sour note; on reading the bill, the legislation DOES permit the governor to suspend sales of firearms during an emergency. So be good scouts down there and prepare ahead of time...

I like the privacy of gun permit records bill, too. The media doesn't "need" to know who owns what and when they publish such lists, as papers in Ohio recently did, it gave criminals a roadmap of homes to burglarize while the owners are away.

Want to see some real media bias? Here's how the Palm Beach Post reported it:

Gun advocates, one of the most powerful lobbies in the nation, scored six out of seven wins this legislative session, including new laws that will allow guns in state parks, make it easier for hunters and fishermen to register to vote and make the names of concealed weapons permit holders secret.

[...]

...the former leader of the National Rifle Association successfully pushed six other bills, including the measure that creates a public records exemption for concealed weapons permits and also makes rejected applications secret.

Public records advocate Barbara Petersen said the law, which goes into effect July 1, makes no sense.

"I think this exemption makes a mockery of the constitutional right of access," said Petersen, president of the Florida First Amendment Foundation.

"The stated purpose of this bill is to protect sensitive information. What is sensitive about your name? These are a privileged class of people who are allowed to carry a concealed weapon. They have to jump through some hoops. We have absolutely no opportunity for oversight," Petersen said.

Bush said he "happily" signed the bill, which was inspired by a Florida television station that posted the names and addresses of concealed weapons permit holders on its Web site.

The measure was passed specifically to prevent anti-gun media from publishing lists of all who have these permits, as the television station did. Interesting that that same station didn't publish the names of those with driver's licenses or fishing licenses. Just concealed-carry permits. Did somebody say media bias? Intimidation or harrassment? Trying to create a stigma? Attempting to advance their anti-gun agenda?

Back to the Palm Beach Post: Notice how they try to demonize the NRA and characterize them as "one of the most powerful lobbies in the nation"? Would media ever make similar implications about the NEA or AARP or the American Trial Lawyers in a news story?